Son of Man and Son of God.

Jesus used the epithet son of man when he was referring to himself as a product of the world and humanity, i.e. his human personality and body.

When he used the epithet son of God he was referring to that part of him which was related to God, i.e. his soul or spirit.

We are all products of both the world and God.

We all have personalities which have been formed by reaction to the world around us and experiences in the world.

We all also have aspects of ourselves which are formed, directly or indirectly, by God.

It was O.K. for Jesus to call himself son of man because that meant to the Pharisees that he was born in sin and in need of redemption through them.

It was not O.K. for Jesus to call himself son of God because that meant that he had some sort of relationship with God which was outside of the Pharisees' control.

"'And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father - the one in heaven.'"  Matthew 23:9 (NRSV)

We don't need the Pharisees to have a relationship with God.

That is not to say that God is not in His house.  He is.  That is why Jesus went to Jerusalem - to go to God's house.  When he got there, however, he behaved unpredictably.  He criticized the authorities.  He said that they had perverted God's message - turning love and compassion into privilege and profit.

They crucified him for that.

Why did God not stop them?

Perhaps God could not stop them.

They would not listen to Him speaking through His prophet.

God does not use force.

"'For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord."'" Matthew 23:39 (NRSV)

"'Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.'"  Matthew 24:28 (NRSV)

The Pharisees had usurped the power of God (the temple) for their own profit.

And they did not share power.

It is the same today in Jesus' Church = money and power.

So we are all sons of man and sons of God despite what the Churches may tell you.

Our task is to return the message of love and compassion to its rightful place in God's house.

Until then the blind lead the blind.

(Scripture quotations (marked NRSV) are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division Of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission.  All rights reserved.)   

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The Law.

The whole of the law is love.

Rock stars and celebrities who have sold their souls to the devil have done so on the basis of received knowledge.

This knowledge has been told them by religious authorities and they have made their decision on that basis.

The religious authorities concerned believe that God is harsh and judgmental, that He does not approve of sex, and that homosexuality is an abomination.  They also believe that there is a devil who is constantly tempting us with a view to getting us into hell.

On the basis of this knowledge, plus the belief that God does not approve of wealth, the stars have rebelled.

They believe that if God does not approve of sex and wealth then the devil can deliver these things if they sell their souls.

They have made their decision based on false information.

The religious authorities involved have a false image of God which has been handed down from generation to generation through fear and violence.

It is not Jesus' image of God.

There is no devil, neither is there a hell.

Satanism is the inverse of traditional Christianity.  And traditional Christianity, as formed under Constantine and Augustine, is false theology.

If there is no devil he cannot deliver wealth and sex.

If there is no hell they cannot get us into it.

Most of their beliefs and practices come from traditional Christianity backwards.

But these beliefs are false.

That is why I can feel some compassion for them.  They have been misinformed.

Talent and transits (astrological) account for their success.  Failures are ignored.  The same things happen to stars who do not sell their souls = sex and wealth.  There is no need of Satan.

So God will not blame them.

It is a gigantic misunderstanding.

Neither will God blame the religious authorities who informed them.  Their beliefs came from fear that was handed down for generations.

So love your enemies, understand them and understand God.

God is our father.  He does not punish His children when they act out of ignorance.  Ignorance of the law is an excuse.  The law in any case is love.

Do sex and wealth bring happiness?

What brings happiness is our relationships.  And our relationships are the love in our lives.

God is love.

The whole of the law is love.

So those who have turned to the devil can be reconciled like the prodigal son.

And those who misinformed them can be illumined.  Their fear can be overcome once they see it for what it is - man-made.

Then perhaps we can love God and love our neighbor.


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Dis-ease.

When there is pain in the body it is a sign that there is something wrong which needs attending to (disease).

When there is suffering and pain in the world it is a sign that there is something wrong with humanity that needs attending to.

For what is humanity but a vast interconnected body - the body of humanity.

If there is pain here or suffering there it is a sign that the flow of love is not reaching that area.  It may be that there is a blockage or that news is not reaching others.  It may be that some are not listening.  It may be that others do not care.

It is fear that blocks the flow of love.  Fear of losing our privileges, fear of difference, fear of obligation.....

It is time to begin to break down the invisible walls that separate us and see the suffering of others in our society and in the world.

If we are to do this effectively we must challenge business conventions and corporate culture.  For what is this but petrified fear - fear of poverty, fear of justice, fear of revolution, fear of idealism, fear of emotion or of needy people.....

This causes business leaders to use their media  - television, radio, newspapers, magazines, movies, music, sports - all of which they own - to control public opinion so that they don't have to be accountable to anyone.

Perhaps it is time for us to regard them as corporate citizens who are accountable to society as others are.  To do this we must look at the conventions and laws which relate to business and corporations.  There, hidden beneath, we will find fear.

It is this we should address.


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Dogs.

It is hard to believe that since the 1960's there has been a resurgence of black magic and Satanism in rock music that has cast a spell over the whole world.

This is a web of evil but invisible to normal sight, indeed the perpetrators of this crime are seen as saviors and role models, especially by the young.

What this does is backwards.  They take the astrological aspects of their audience and propagate the negatives of those aspects, thus entangling their fans in chains.

Whilst posing as helpers they poison their listeners with negativity.  The most obvious of these is suicide.  Note how many rock musicians write songs about death.

Death is a theological negative which they believe gives them immense power over humanity.  At once sabotaging any spiritual quest and hiding the truth about themselves.

This is not magic so much as propaganda.

It works on the unconscious level, backwards under the music or negative suggestion.

It has spread to movies, sport and books.

Death, black, monsters, magic, vampires, drugs, insanity, promiscuity, transgression, materialism, money,sex, corruption, evil, hell.....

They believe that they have killed any spirituality in human beings and separated them from God.

They prey on people's rejection of traditional religion and believe they have severed their connection with God = death.

They make the mistake of identifying with the Church.  The Church is run by the spiritual descendants of the Pharisees - the people who killed Jesus and his message of unconditional love.

Rock musicians have internalized the theology of sin and death and, believing God to be some kind of patriarchal bully, turned to the devil for what they want - sex and drugs and rock and roll.

They sell their souls and do the devil's work.

So they will be tempting you and trying to get you into hell.

But there is no hell.

Their image of God is completely wrong.

They are wasting their time.

But the negativity and sabotage still has an effect.

It ruins people's lives and relationships.

It distracts people from their purpose.

It turns people away from spirituality and God.

It tries to kill you.

They have always been obsessed with image - their image with the public.  They will manipulate images and words in order to appear good or wise, which is the height of deceit.  Then they will spin back to evil.  It is diabolical and difficult to discern.  They lie and deceive like whited sepulchers.  Worldly cynics, they laugh all the way to the bank.

They call themselves Dogs - Gods backwards.
(Some wear their caps back to front).

Our task is to break the spell.

You can tell people what they are doing but most people will take it at face value.

Perhaps the best way to handle them is to pray for them to see the errors which caused them to rebel in the first place and reconcile them to God.

Then the overwhelming machinery - which is whirling backwards into darkness - could move forwards at last.


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The Flower of Love.

When I set out to put down on paper my revised beliefs about Christianity I began with What I do not Believe.

The popular movement of Progressive Christianity is at first a deconstruction of traditional Christian doctrine.

The Fall/Redemption. penal substitution, blood sacrifice interpretation of the Bible is being systematically demolished.

The reasons for this are clearly set out by modern radical theologians.

The cry goes up : we are destroying people's simple faith and if we continue there will be nothing left.

First of all I would say that there is rubble.  We can choose what we wish to retain from the rubble.

But even without this what remains is not nothing.

What remains is unconditional love.

The theology of unconditional love has always been the bridesmaid not only of Christianity but of all the world's religions.

I believe that what remains when we strip away the concepts with which we clothe our religious figures is unconditional love.

This is the true religion and it is universal.

Whether the purveyors of the old religion of fear and guilt will allow this new flower to bloom is problematical.  They will not easily give up their power.

What the future holds is yet to be seen. 

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The Problem.

The problem is Fear.

Fear of :

God - punishment.
        - hell.
offending God.
losing love.
rejection.
poverty.
losing privileges.
exploitation.
domination.
rebellion.
strangers.
difference.
being different.
humiliation.
pain.
suffering.
losing.
missing out.
justice.
idealism.
evil.
Satan.
violence.
death.

All these things inhibit our capacity to love
- which is both the cause and purpose of life.


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In Holistic Language.

GOD :

is unconditional love.
is unmixed good.
sees good in us.
is light without shadow.
is fire that does not consume.
is innocent.
is spiritual.
is sublime.
is non-violent.
will not force us.
is never angry.
is never vengeful.
cares.
is reasonable.
is compassionate.
is trustworthy.
does not punish us.
does not judge us.
helps.
nudges us in the right direction.
acts.
interprets the time.
waits.
withdraws.
answers prayers.


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The Age of Aquarius 2.

(a)  What improvements could come with the Age of  Aquarius?

Liberty : an end to dictatorships and control machinery (fear and guilt).

                a reduction of fear (xenophobia, homophobia etc.).

                less authoritarianism (circular power structures = E.U.)

Equality: an evening out of the class system (middle class).

                 equal opportunity (women, GLBTI, immigrants, aboriginals).

                 an evening out of world wealth (China. India, Africa).

Fraternity: humanitarianism.

                    altruism.

                    charity.

(b)  People in the west may lose some of their privileges as the world becomes more equable.

The aim, however, is to bring the second and third worlds up to first world standard as much as possible not to seek the lowest common denominator.

Fear of socialism is the main obstacle :

      

- it creates counter revolutionary movement which is counter productive.

      

- conservative forces and plutocrats (corporations) must lose their fear of equality and justice for the Age of Aquarius to begin.  Otherwise the world will remain ruled by money and profit.

      

- the purpose of business must change from profit to providing (employment, livelihood = food).   

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The Age of Aquarius 1.

(a)  The Age of Aquarius is approaching.

It is characterized by Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity.

Liberty :

It is freedom (not oppression).

Equality :

It is egalitarian (not one size fits all).

Fraternity :

If God is our father then all men and women are our brothers and sisters.

Its philosophy is liberal humanism.

It is progressive (not regressive).

(b) We are still, however, affected by covert Satanism in the entertainment industries (music, movies, sports).

Unless we unmask this pervasive influence the Age of Aquarius will be manifested backwards - as the negatives of Aquarius : promiscuity, drug addiction, and insanity.

Astrologically Satanism is governed by Scorpio (hidden things, secrets, violence, death). Aquarius considers Scorpio to be dark and sinister.

The right-wing religious influence merely uses the knowledge of Satanism (which comes from God) to demonize their political opponents.  They have failed to unmask Satanism.

So the right-wing religions blame the victims of Satanism - hippies and gays - rather than the perpetrators.

The hippies were sabotaged by Satanism and manifested the negatives of Aquarius : promiscuity, drug addiction and insanity.

So if we don't want the rainbow children (born 1992 to 2011) to finish up like the hippies (i.e. a mess) we had better unmask the Satanic influence in the music, movie, and sporting industries.

We can pray for this - for Satanism to be unmasked - so that everyone can choose for himself or herself the positive aspects of Aquarius : Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity.

Meanwhile we can pray for the Satanists to see their error - there is no Satan to reward them - and move forwards rather than backwards.

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What People Don't Know 2.

1.  The right-wing political machine is what the Bible calls a beast.
(Because it uses violence and fear to achieve its goals.)

2.  The right-wing machine labels its political opponents evil.
(i.e. as a weapon.)

3.  Business leaders collude with Satanists in the media.

4.  Religious leaders conspire with business leaders to oppose socialism.

5.  Business leaders use their media (news) outlets to attack socialist leaders.

6.  Rock stars and others in the entertainment industries (movie stars, sportsmen) sell their souls to the devil and do his work in the world.  (Satanism)  (See What People Don't Know 1)(July).

7.  They all tempt and intimidate the people of God out of fear.
(Entrapment.)  (See The Key)(July).


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What People Don't Know 1.

1.  Our present religious authorities are the sons and daughters of the Pharisees and Sadducees who killed Jesus.  But they should be treated with the understanding that their actions are inspired by fear and are therefore to be excused.  (See The Key) (July).

2.  What the religious authorities say is not necessarily what God says.

3.  There is no Hell.
The concept of (eternal) punishment is totally out of character for a loving God.

4.  There is no Satan.
Satan is an explanation for the question - Why do bad things happen to good people?
But because there is no Satan does not mean that there are no Satanists.  (See Satanism On The Phone)(May).

5.  God does not punish evil and reward good.
Natural justice is a human concept.
(a)  God is a father and treats all people as His children.
(b)  God does not wish anyone to perish.
(c)  All men and women are our brothers and sisters.

6.  Suffering (ransom) is not required by God but is what it takes to melt our hearts.
How much does it take until we will open our hearts?

7.  God is love.
(i.e. not moral law or divine justice).


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Poison.

Satan worshipers use the phone* to poison and demonize people's images in much the same way as the media.

They will make one of God's servants look evil to another of God's servants and thereby inspire them to fight and destroy each other.

This is what Jesus referred to when he said, "'If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.'"  Mark 3:24 (NRSV)

(* The phone is the term used for telepathic communication through the collective unconscious.)


(Scripture quotations (marked NRSV) are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission. All rights reserved.)

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Pluto in Capricorn.

The reactionary conservatism that followed the social justice and sexual revolutions of the 1960's and 70's, which was so dramatically manifested in the regime of Ronald Reagan (with the help of Pope John Paul II), has re-emerged with the progress of Pluto into Capricorn.

The influence of this astrological aspect is surprising in itself because astrology is generally thought of as a left-wing/New Age phenomenon.  This reveals just how desperate the conservative forces have become.

They think that this aspect will bring with it all the benefits and victories that they saw in the 1980's.

This is in no way certain.

For one thing they don't have the White House or the Lodge, despite the constant efforts of their media outlets.
For another the progress of Uranus into Aries forms a square (tense) aspect to Pluto unlike the harmonious sextile of the 1980's.  And the progress of Neptune into Pisces does not augur as badly as the the previous position in Capricorn.

We will see the rebellious aspect of Uranus actively challenging the power of the conservatives - aspecting as it does the Sagittarius/Aquarius youth (born 1996-2008).

Even though we have seen the last of the great conjunctions - Jupiter/Neptune in Aquarius and Jupiter/Uranus in Pisces/Aries, the Neptune /Uranus conjunction of the 1990's comes into play.
This is already being seen with the support for gay marriage in the popular culture. Despite the fact that  some are among those who practice Satanism, the face value left/gay mask reveals grassroots support for those forces - left-wing/gay - which will challenge the conservative push.

This can only increase as time goes on.

We need something, however, that is not controlled by the Satanic forces in the music industry and elsewhere if we are to succeed.  The negative forces work towards a negative outcome and this will sabotage and poison the Aquarian Age if we do not find something positive to replace them.

We can pray for them to move forwards instead of backwards.   This will require a change of heart and a commitment to the absolute truth and forgiveness of God.

If we can get the social awareness of Satanism to a sufficient level then we can call an amnesty and a Truth and Forgiveness Commission such as Nelson Mandela called in South Africa.

From there modern music and culture could move forwards and contribute positively to the social revolution that will lead to the Age of Aquarius.

Alternatively the fortunes of the gay civil rights movement itself could be an indicator - a sign of the times - that shows the mass of people supporting the new ideas and the new religious paradigm - Progressive Christianity - which must be developed in order to make a safe place for gay and lesbian people and reformed Satanists in the Church.

If we can convince the rebellious Satanic forces that sex, and especially gay sex, is O.K. with God then the chances of a turn around are increased dramatically.


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The Unconscious.

The collective unconscious is full of perceptions - positive and negative - which affect the thoughts and feeling that we have.

Therefore prejudice and stereotypes affect how we think and feel about ourselves.

These are like reflections - what those around us in society and beyond think of us.  And what we think of others.

These are projected onto the other person and affect their thoughts and feelings.

This can be done maliciously by those who do not have our interests at heart.

By praying and meditating we create blessings which are beneficial to the other person.

So our thoughts and feelings affect others directly by projection and indirectly by their influence on our actions.


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Just Do It.

It is one thing to understand something intellectually, it is another thing to do it.

If you truly take something to heart it becomes part of your life and everything that you do.

If you truly believe in unconditional love then you will show unconditional love to everyone you meet, no matter how they look, or what you think they might have done, or what they have in fact done.

If you truly love God you will do it.


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The White Light.

The White Light descends.

Hope springs.

Faith grows.

Truth shines.

The Water flows.

Open your Hearts.

Let your Hearts bloom like the Rose.

Love God.

Love your Brothers.

Love your Sisters.

"Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream."
Amos 5:24 (NRSV)


(Scripture quotations (marked NRSV) are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission.  All rights reserved.)

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Crime.

In the beginning the Hippies believed that criminals were poor people who had not had the privileges that others had.  And were therefore not guilty.  We believed that if you showed them love and understanding that they would change.  But not if the society that made them that way didn't change.

Later, when we experienced abuse, intimidation, ridicule, and blame, we were reconstructed as cynical, materialistic pragmatists.

We were right the first time.

What we believed intuitively was closer to God than what we learned.

Harsher penalties, victims rights, tough love....
We have moved further away from the truth.

We have hardened our hearts.


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Theodicy.

Theodicy is that branch of theology which attempts to reconcile the goodness of God with the existence of evil.

What people label as evil today are mostly crimes of passion.  Such things as child abuse, rape, and murder have explanations and as such are not evil because there is a reason for them.

And what people see in the world today as not evil - such as rock music, vampire and horror movies - are evil in the sense that those who create them are deliberately doing what they consider to be evil.  Deliberate evil is an intellectual choice*.  In this sense evil is not a reality but an idea, a human invention and therefore not part of God's self.

*This choice is usually a reaction to received knowledge about God (i.e. what they have been told about God) very often in relation to sex (and sometimes homosexuality) and the devil and what he can do.
This knowledge is manifestly untrue.


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Psalm 82.

God addresses the ruling council:

"'How long will you judge unjustly
and show partiality to the wicked?

"'Give justice to the weak and the orphan;
maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute.
Rescue the weak and the needy;
deliver them from the hand of the wicked.'

The wicked rule the earth:
"They have neither knowledge nor understanding,
they walk around in darkness;
all the foundations of the earth are shaken."  Psalm 82:2-5 (NRSV)

This recalls the prophets.

The world-view in which the innocent masses are dominated by the wicked seems still to be true today!

Powerful men and women are no longer permitted to enslave and kill others by law. That is the only difference.

But:

"'You are gods,
children of the Most High, all of you.'"  Psalm 82:6 (NRSV)

Even the wicked are children of God.

These powerful men and women are fearful.
The conventions of society are institutionalized fears.

Perhaps rather than seeing them as the enemy we could almost feel sorry for them.  So racked are they by fear: fear of poverty, fear of failure....

Financial conventions are petrified fears made law.

Pray for captains of industry.
Challenge the conventions.


(Scripture quotations (marked NRSV) are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission.  All rights reserved.)

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Family Values?

It occurred to me that what was at the heart of family values was love.
What conservatives and evangelicals found in family was love.
What families have that others do not is love.

You will find that in families love will override condemnation or judgment or disapproval, even apathy or indifference = neglect.

God is a father and all are His family.
The family of humanity.

The objective is not to treat your family as we treat everyone else but to treat everyone like a family member.

So there is no difference between what progressives and conservatives are saying. The things of God are the things of love and family is one of those things.

The heart of progressive and conservative religion is the same: Love!

(N.B.  Homosexuality = love between two people of the same sex.)


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Share.

Since I have been posting on this blog I have gained a number of loyal readers.

If you like what you read here please share the blog address with your friends.

You can also download my novella about homosexuality and Progressive Christianity - The Flower of Love - free from :
www.michaeleeast.wordpress.com

Thank you,
Michael E. East.

My Generation.

My generation rejected the manipulative fear/guilt message of the traditional Church in favor of at first eastern religions and yoga, and later New Age Spirituality, which is their western descendant.

Now there is confusion.

With the help of Satanism in music, entertainment, and media we scarcely know what we are saying at all.

We chase after false gods: success, power, pleasure....

But there is a rear guard action that is seeking the original message of Jesus: unconditional love, forgiveness, peace, and social justice....
This is a holistic message - not the warring factions of dualism.

We threaten the power of the Church (as Jesus did).

For in centralizing Jesus message of love we take away the weapons of power: fear, guilt, triumphalism, rewards and punishments that are in the doctrines of original sin, salvation, redemption, and judgment.

All these perversions of Jesus message are rejected in favor of the real message of Jesus: Love.


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The Key.

The key is, when we reach Jerusalem, not to be adversarial but to treat the authorities with understanding and love.

"'Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.'"  Luke 6:27,28 (NRSV)

If we understand that, like us, they are the product of their heredity and experience we may be able to defuse the situation.

Jesus criticized the religious authorities but was prepared to talk with Joseph of Arimathia and Nicodemus.  He could be said to have provoked the Scribes and Pharisees.

When he was brought before them he said nothing.
He knew that they would use his words against him or put words into his mouth.  He understood treachery.

But treachery is fear.
Fear of losing power and influence.
Fear of losing riches and privileges.
Fear of divine punishment.
Fear of God.

What experiences had they had to bring them to this place?

To talk about fear and love is the key.
There are only two things in the world fear and love.
As fear diminishes love grows.
What stops us from loving but fear.
Fear is cold and hard - like stone.
Love is warm and soft - like flesh.
Fear makes us attack, become violent.
Love makes us fearless.

"There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear."  1 John 4:18a (NRSV)


(Scripture quotations (marked NRSV) are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission.  All rights reserved.)

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Success?

When we are children our parents instill in us an expectation of worldly success.  This is often accompanied by an expectation of goodness or spirituality.

The two are, in most cases, mutually exclusive.

"'If the world hates you, be aware that it hated me before it hated you.  If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own.  Because you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world - therefore the world hates you.'"  John 15:18,19 (NRSV)

"'Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
"'Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.'"  Matthew 5:11,12 (NRSV)

"'Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what they did to the false prophets.'"  Luke 6:26 (NRSV)

Jesus was not a success in the worldly sense.

He did little and was put to death before he could achieve anything on earth.

The catch-cry of the new age gurus - how to get what you want out of life - is not the purpose of spirituality or religion.
Love, compassion, justice, understanding, peace, forgiveness....
These are the aims of religion and spirituality.

Jesus was a failure - he didn't even go to work!

In school we are taught about the great victors : Alexander, Julius Caesar, Napoleon...
In church we are taught that Jesus is greater - King of Kings and Lord of Lords....
But the Bible calls the great victors beasts.
They don't tell you that in school, or in church for that matter.

So we are left with an impossible task - to succeed in the world and be true Christians at once.

What has happened is that the message of Jesus has been modified to conform to the values of the world.

So that now we are scarcely Christians at all.


(Scripture quotations (marked NRSV) are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission.  All rights reserved.)

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My Contribution.

What I do and what I say cannot be discounted or invalidated merely by saying that it is left-wing or politically correct.

Neither can it be rejected as heresy.

What I do is real and has value.

Nor can you say I do nothing.  I do many jobs around the church.
But most of all I contribute to the interpretation of scripture.
This is done according to my experience not just my mental assent.

Nor can you nullify my contribution because it is not good works.
Contemplation and prayer have value as well.

"'You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor's eye.'"  Matthew 7:5 (NRSV)

Then what you do will follow.

You may do the same things as you did before but the motivation will no longer be fear, your motive will be love.


(Scripture quotations (marked NRSV) are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division Of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission.  All rights reserved.)  

Equals.

God does not see people as good or evil.

God treats everyone like a family member.

Some will succeed, some will fail.  Some will win, some will lose.  Some will obey, some will rebel.  Some will be well regarded, some will be reviled.

But we are all God's children, members of God's family.

No one is condemned or rejected.

All are equal in the sight of God.


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Encounters.

When you first encounter evil the instinctive reaction is to battle against it and destroy it, or at least defeat it.  As you slowly come to realize that this approach does not work the injunction to love your enemies and pray for those who abuse you becomes more attractive.  Usually this is a last resort.

When you first encounter God you assume that He will win everything hands down.  As you come to know God better you realize that this is not the case.  God is non-violent and our agreement is voluntary.

"But they refused to listen, and turned a stubborn shoulder, and stopped their ears in order not to hear."  Zechariah 7:11 (NRSV)
But there was no punishment.

God can lose.
We can refuse.

But God is non-violent.
There will be no punishment.

God looks for improvement not victory over evil.
Improvement in our caring, improvement in our loving.  More warmth, more friendship.  Less fear, more love.

This is in harmony with the social justice message of the prophets.


(Scripture quotations (marked NRSV) are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission.  All rights reserved.)

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Commandment.

It is written in the ancient Egyptian texts:
"Thou shalt not terrify men and women,
thing not pleasing to God."

I have never known God to be angry or vengeful or violent at any time.

God is not a punisher of men and women.

I believe it does not please God if His representatives instill fear in people.

God is love or love is God.
You should love God not fear God.


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Aquarius 2.

Uranus rules the sign of Aquarius with Saturn.

Freedom.                                                   Duty.
International.                                           National.
Original.                                                    Traditional.
Future.                                                       Past.
New.                                                           Old.
Universal.                                                  Personal.
Socialism.                                                  Conservatism.
Change.                                                      Status Quo.
Experimental.                                           Tried and True.
Exciting.                                                     Responsible.
Equality.                                                     Hierarchy.
Even Playing Field.                                  Summit.
Electro-Magnetic Waves.                       Matter.
Water.                                                         Vessel.

The asteroid Chiron - the Centaur - orbits between Uranus and Saturn overlapping the orbits of both planets on its path.

Chiron is called the Wounded Healer because he taught the arts of healing and could heal others but could not heal his own arrow wound.

With him the wounding lacks of childhood become the healing abundance of maturity.
He mediates between Uranus and Saturn, healing old wounds.


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Aquarius 1.

The astrological sign of Aquarius is so called because of the number of stars in the constellation which relate to water.

The constellation of Aquarius is also in the region of the sky known as The Sea.  This region includes the constellations of Capricornus (the Sea-Goat), Aquarius (the Water Carrier), and Pisces (the Fish).  Plus : Cetus (the Whale), Delphinus (the Dolphin), Eruadenus (the Great River), Hydra (the Sea Snake), Argo (the Ship), and Crater (the Cup).

This is the upper waters of the sky through which the sun moved during the rainy season.

The Babylonians related it to the 11th month and the Deluge (the 11th book).  Aquarius is the 11th sign of the zodiac.

Aquarius is also said to relate to the myth of Ganymede - a noted homosexual myth - in which the beautiful youth is kidnapped by Zeus in the form of an eagle and taken to Olympus to be his lover and the cup bearer of the gods.


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Elijah.

After he killed the priests of Baal Elijah said to the Lord, "'It is enough ; now Lord, take away my life, for I am not better than my ancestors.'" 1Kings 19:4b. (NRSV)

But God fed him and showed him a mighty wind, an earthquake, and a fire.  But God was not in these spectacular, violent events.
God was in the "sound of sheer silence" 1Kings 19:12b (NRSV) that followed.

To me this means that God does not act in spectacular, violent ways.
God is non-violent (harmless).


(Scripture quotations (marked NRSV) are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission.  All rights reserved.)

Photo Credit: Lawrence OP Flickr via Compfight cc